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Thursday, June 18, 2015

The Mystery of the Missing Cross

The Mystery of the Missing Cross

The estate sale where I had been working for a couple of
weeks had lots of ornamental decor, with numerous wind chimes, outdoor
planters, and "stuff" from the household that made me think of the
days of the old west.When the sale was
over (that's when I do my shopping), I made an offer on some things I wanted to
buy.Among those things was a metal
cross which had been displayed in a flower garden.

I was loading my shelving and tables, along with some of the
other merchandise I had purchased.Realizing I had the truck loaded and would need to make another trip to
get the rest, I made a pile of all my purchases on the back porch, including
the cross.

When I returned for the remaining load, I noticed the cross
was gone. I asked everyone if they had seen the cross or if someone had
accidentally placed it somewhere else.With help from others looking all over the place, the cross was nowhere
to be found.

So that's the mystery.The cross is missing.

There have been lots of crosses, originally made and used
for executions.The slow, agonizing
death of one on the cross has been the topic of numerous sermons, as we
consider the cross of Jesus.It happened
according to the plan of God to redeem mankind.Through tears we remember that event of Jesus' death, as he took our
place and paid the debt for our sins.

Sitting on that back porch I continued to wonder if someone
would intentionally take a cross.Would
they put it in their flower garden and see it daily and reflect on the work of
Jesus in giving his lifeso we could
live eternally?Or perhaps they would
casually appreciate the garden decoration as just another piece of yard
ornament?Do you think as they admired
the cross they might even remember the words of "The Old Rugged
Cross?"

The incident is forgotten.I just wanted to share with you my frustration of not having that cross
in my flowers, and now it's gone.

Not gone from my thinking, is the cross of Jesus.How much love would it take for someone to
die for someone else?And how much love
would it take for someone to die for the sins of all mankind?My heart cannot fathom such love, but the
love of Jesus for you and me, and for the rest of humanity took him to
Calvary.His cross is our only avenue to
living eternally.I am so thankful he
loves me.

Alas! and did my Savior bleed And
did my Sov’reign die?
Would He devote that sacred head For such a worm as I?